- In 2018, 572,000 Asian Americans reported that they currently have asthma.
- Asian Americans generally have lower rates of asthma than the white population.
- Data on asthma conditions for Asian Americans is limited.
- While all of the causes of asthma remain unclear, children exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke exposure are at increased risk for acute lower respiratory tract infections, such as bronchitis. Children living below or near the poverty level are more likely to have high levels of blood cotinine, a breakdown product of nicotine, than children living in higher income families.1
Diagnosed
| Percentage of asthma among persons 18 years of age and over, currently have asthma, 2018 | ||
| Asian | Non-Hispanic White | Asian / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 3.7 | 8.0 | 0.5 |
Source: CDC 2021. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table A-2a.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm
| Percentage of asthma among persons 18 years of age and over, ever being told they had asthma, 2018 | ||
| Asian | Non-Hispanic White | Asian / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 7.8 | 14.2 | 0.5 |
Source: CDC 2021. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table A-2a.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm
| Percentage of adults 18 years of age and over with asthma, 2004-2006 | |||
| Population | White | Population / White Ratio | |
| Total Asian | 8.0 | 11.0 | 0.7 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander & other | 10.2 | 11.0 | 0.9 |
| Chinese | 5.9 | 11.0 | 0.5 |
| Filipino | 10.7 | 11.0 | 1.0 |
| Asian Indian | 7.7 | 11.0 | 0.7 |
| Japanese | 8.3 | 11.0 | 0.8 |
| Vietnamese | 7.1 | 11.0 | 0.6 |
| Korean | 6.9 | 11.0 | 0.6 |
* Source: CDC 2008. Health characteristics of the Asian adult population: United States, 2004-2006. Table 4.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad394.pdf [PDF | 476KB]
Death Rate
| Deaths per 100,000, with asthma as the underlying cause, National Vital Statistics System, 2019 | ||
| Asian | Non-Hispanic White | Asian / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
Source: CDC 2021. CDC WONDER Online Database.
https://wonder.cdc.gov/ [Accessed 01/21/2021]
Treatment
| Hospital admissions rate per 100,000 for asthma, adults ages 18 to 39, United States, 2017 | ||
| Non-Hispanic Asian | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Asian / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 7.4 | 23.6 | 0.3 |
Source: National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query: Table 5_4_1_7_1.1 [Accessed 01/21/2021] http://nhqrnet.ahrq.gov/inhqrdr/data/query
| Percentage of people with current asthma who are taking preventive medicine daily or almost daily, 2016 | ||
| Non-Hispanic Asian | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Asian / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 10.5 | 22.9 | 0.5 |
Source: National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query: Table 6_9_3_1_1.1 [Accessed 01/21/2021] http://nhqrnet.ahrq.gov/inhqrdr/data/query
Children
| Age-adjusted percentage for children under 18 years of age, ever being told they had asthma, 2018 | ||
| Asian | Non-Hispanic White | Asian / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 8.2 | 9.4 | 0.9 |
Source: CDC 2021. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table C-1a.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm
| Hospital admissions rate per 100,000 for asthma, children ages 2-17, United States, 2017 | ||
| Non-Hispanic Asian | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Asian / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 46.9 | 41.9 | 1.1 |
Source: National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query: Table 5_4_1_7_2.1 [Accessed 01/21/2021]
http://nhqrnet.ahrq.gov/inhqrdr/data/query
| Age-adjusted percentage for children under 18 years of age, who currently have asthma, 2018 | ||
| Asian | Non-Hispanic White | Asian / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 3.9 | 5.6 | 0.7 |
1 Source: CDC 2021. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table C-1a.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm
* NOTE: This is the most recent national data which is available at this time.
Last Edited: 02/11/2021